Because You Love Her
by jerseygirlinoxford
Summary: A different type of love story.High angst. Not Babe or Cupcake with a little bit of supernatural in the mix
1. Chapter 1

Because you love her……by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

This is a departure from what you're used to from me. My sci-fi/horror roots were calling, and I became possessed. This is not a Babe or Cupcake fic. There is language, angst, and is kind of a sick and twisted love story. This is dedicated to one of my best friends, Karyne, whom I've recently gotten back in touch with. She was the friend I had mentioned that we wrote fan fics together before that's what they were called. Standard disclaimer….don't own or make money from JE's characters. Hope you like it. If not….shit happens.

Prologue

It was only by chance that he saw the news report. Trenton's hottest celebrity's latest car came to another explosive ending. The reporter gave a brief background on Stephanie Plum, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter. Even from the black and white still photo, he knew it was her. 'S'…..he knew it would be another 'S'. She was known as Stephanie now. He finally found her.

It became increasingly harder and harder to find her over the past two hundred years. Apparently, absence did not make the heart grow fonder. He had done some research on Stephanie Plum. She had actually married this time. There were two other men in her life. One was a cop, and the other was a mercenary. Neither man was good enough for her. She was his. She was always his.

He still remembered her pain all those years ago when he was taken from her. He remembered it like it was yesterday. The creature that turned him had long since been destroyed. He resisted turning Sabine. He refused to condemn her to the same life of darkness to fulfill his selfish need for her. He managed to stay strong for the past four hundred years. He could track her soul every time she was reborn. He found a way to be part of her new life each time. Sabine always remembered him. Having her back in his life gave him the courage to continue. Then, he suffered the tremendous pain and loss upon her death…each time. He was able to maintain this existence….until now.

He could no longer live this lonely life. Live. Life. Poor choice of words. Existence. This was closest to the truth. He just existed. It was time. He finally came to the decision to turn Sabine. Make her immortal like him. Then, they could be together forever. He feared chancing another life time and losing her for good. She had strong feelings for the two men in her life. This weakened their connection. Having Sabine come to him again and again was the only thing that made this hell on earth close to tolerable.

His heart and mind were dueling over the morality of his decision. Sabine loved the sun. She could never intentionally harm a living thing. The sun would be fatal. She would have to feed to exist. She would struggle at first, but would be there to help her. No, he had to have her.

Standing in the parking lot of a small, three story apartment building, he watched her pass by a window. "Soon my darling, Sabine," he whispered into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter one

It had been a few months after the Scrog incident. Stephanie immediately pulled back from both Morelli and Ranger. Scrog had held her and Ranger's daughter, Julie, captive in her apartment. Knowing that one of the two men in her life was entering the apartment and probably going to get shot, she realized that she loved them both. She got the opportunity to tell Morelli that night, but never told Ranger. Stephanie knew Morelli loved her. He told her all the time. He was a good man. Ranger loved her in his own way but didn't want a relationship outside the bedroom. God, she loved them both with all her heart. She just didn't know what to do. She felt so restless that past week. She couldn't understand why. All she did know was that she couldn't commit to either of them.

Stephanie was able to avoid Morelli at the police station and around town. Avoiding Ranger had been easy the first two months after the shooting. His injuries kept him apartment bound after he got discharged from the hospital. When he was well enough to travel, Ranger went to Miami. Julie was having a hard time dealing with the kidnapping and shooting. Ranger decided to work out of the Miami office to be closer to her. Julie's therapist thought it best to have him around for a while. He left her a message to call Tank if she needed anything. She had been screening all her calls. A part of her was sorry she didn't answer when he called her. No declarations of love…just his usual "Be safe, Babe." She missed him.

She had a few messages from Morelli. He missed her. He loved her. Bob missed her. Lord knows, she missed him, too. Her desire for the two of them tore her apart. There was a tremendous sense of guilt that overwhelmed her. She felt a strong urge to move on with her life. Now was the time. Morelli left her another message earlier that day that he was going out of town on assignment. Ranger was already out of town. No interference.

Her family and friends noticed that she had withdrawn. Her mother kept up her barrage of daily phone calls. The messages usually consisted of current job openings at Personal Products, the daily dinner menu, Morelli, and her idea of normal. Stephanie knew she meant well. It was just getting a little old. Lula and Connie ragged on her all the time. They were worried about her, too. Can't she be allowed to be in a funk once in a while? Yeesh!

For the past week, Stephanie felt like she had been watched. It wasn't her usual apprehensive feeling she got when she was stalked. This was very different. There was almost a comfort to it. Finally having driven herself crazy, Stephanie decided to throw caution to the wind and put herself out there. After getting the right outfit and her hair to perfection, she headed to DuJour's.

DuJour's was the latest hot spot in Trenton. She hoped none of Ranger's Merry Men were there. It would get back to Ranger in a New York minute. No, tonight she needed to throw out the rules and damn what people would say about her. For everything that she had been through, Stephanie felt she was entitled to a night of reckless abandon.

After an hour of come-ons by slime balls, Stephanie was rethinking the whole reckless abandon thing. What a stupid idea, she thought to herself, this isn't me. She threw a five on the bar for a tip and slid off her stool. She bumped into an incredibly handsome man. He was Morelli's height, not quite as broad as Ranger, and had the most piercing blue eyes. His dirty blonde hair hung just past his ears. She felt his stare go right through her soul. There was a familiarity about him that she could not place. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her knees weaken. "I'm sorry," she told him breaking out of her trance. "I wasn't paying attention." He smiled.

"Forgive me," he told her. "I'm Christian." He extended his hand, and Stephanie automatically shook it. "I hope you weren't leaving." There was a faint hint of an accent that she couldn't place.

"Well….I was," she admitted. He pulled her stool out for her.

"Please join me for a drink?" She thought for a moment. One drink couldn't hurt. He was gorgeous. There was definitely an attraction. Maybe this is what she needed to move on with her life.

"You know what? I think I will," she replied with a wide smile and sat back on the bar stool.

The sun shone brightly through her bedroom window. Stephanie blinked several times but her eyes refused to adjust to the light. Groaning, she gave up and rolled her pillow over her head. Whose stupid idea was it to throw caution to the wind? Oh right….it was hers. She felt awful. It didn't feel like a normal hangover….something that could easily be remedied by the Cure. This felt more like the flu or something. Her entire body….ached. She rolled over and heard something crinkle. It was a note.

S,

Sorry to leave you my Darling. I will see you again soon.

All my love,

Christian

Stephanie bolted upright in bed. Her body immediately protested, and she flopped back down. Oh my God! What did I do? She remembered the handsome man she met last night. Did she sleep with him? She ran her hands down her body feeling only skin. Holy Shit! She picked up some random guy and slept with him! She didn't even remember it! She remembered meeting him at DuJour's. She remembered him coming back to the apartment. She remembered he had walked her to the door.

"_Aren't you coming in?" she asked him._

"_Are you inviting me?"_

"_Yes, Christian, I'm inviting you in," she giggled._

She remembered them talking, and the rest was gone. There was something special about him. She felt like she had known him…forever. It was weird, but exciting at the same time. Maybe he was what she needed to move on with her life. Sighing, Stephanie dragged herself out of bed. She shielded her eyes from the sun before yanking the curtains closed. She felt exposed for the first time that morning so she hurried to the bathroom to grab her robe and take care of business.

She counted to three before looking at herself in the mirror. Yikes! She looked like death warmed over. Her eyes looked sunken, her skin was pale, and she looked a little drawn. "What the hell did I drink last night?" she muttered aloud. While brushing her teeth, she noticed a bruised area on the right side of her neck. It was in the hollowed area between the base of her neck and collarbone. She spit out the toothpaste and pulled the collar of her robe away to get a better look. Was that a hickey? Was that dried blood? What the hell did she do last night?


	3. Chapter 3

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 2

Morelli didn't mind out of town assignments. It was nice to get away every now and then. Safe guarding a witness was a boring job. With all the time on his hands, his thoughts turned to Stephanie. He knew she had been avoiding him. She hadn't returned any of his calls. He relived the Scrog incident. That was one of the worst nights in his entire life. Scrog had Stephanie and Ranger's daughter hostage in her apartment. He wanted to be the one to go in but was overruled by the Chief. Scrog wanted Ranger so Ranger got to be the hero. Shit…it almost cost Ranger his life, too. Stephanie's reaction unnerved him. Sure, she had gotten upset before but had never come apart like that. He started to believe that she loved Ranger more than she did him. When she admitted to him that she loved him, he thought that was the major turning point in their relationship. There was a twinge of guilt over the feeling of satisfaction that he finally had the upper hand while Ranger fought for his life after he saved Stephanie. Morelli knew Ranger put himself in that position because he loved her. Ranger loved Stephanie as much as he did. But Stephanie told him that she loved him. Thank God. But, she pulled away from him. Why?

Morelli took some solace in the fact that she hadn't been with Ranger either. Last he heard, Ranger was still in Miami. His instincts told him there was something between Stephanie and Ranger. He, too, could play the denial game. He liked to believe what ever did happen wasn't when they were officially in the on-again status of their relationship. Just like he would never do that to her. Sure, the rumors about him and Terri Gillman were all over the place. That was all they were….rumors. Morelli never cheated on Stephanie, and he never would. Could he ever forgive Stephanie if she had cheated on him with Ranger? It would hurt, but yeah, he would forgive her. Why? Because he loved her.

And as soon as he got back into town, Morelli decided he would do whatever necessary to prove that to her. He called her cell, but it rolled over to her voicemail. "Hi Cupcake. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I…I love you, Stephanie. Call me…please." Shit! He thought he would never see the day that he begged a woman for anything. He never had to before. God, Stephanie Plum drove him crazy.

Ranger planned to return to Trenton the next day. He called Tank to apprise him of the situation. It didn't take long for the conversation to turn to Stephanie. "She hasn't returned any of my calls, Tank. Is she back with Morelli?" There was an uncomfortable silence. "What's going on with Stephanie?"

"I don't know. She's been avoiding everyone. Family, friends, Morelli, us….everyone. I saw her the other day, and she didn't look too good. She didn't even let me get close. She just took off."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Ranger disconnected with Tank and immediately called her. Again, he only got her voice mail. "Babe…call me as soon as you get this." Something was definitely wrong. Stephanie always called him back. Even when she was with Morelli. This was his fault. He asked for her help to get Julie back from Scrog. He used her for fucking bait! And when she needed him the most, he took off for Miami. Yeah, his daughter needed him, too. But he should have known better. He should have at least split his time between Trenton and Miami.

Ranger called Tank again and ordered to have Stephanie followed. He needed some answers now. He was the loner…not Stephanie. Oh, she tried so hard to be independent. And in so many ways, she was. But, she never shut everyone out of her life before. He prayed that tomorrow would not be too late.

Tank met Ranger at the airport late the next morning. "What did you find out?" Tank rubbed a hand over his bald head and sighed.

"Not much. Had Santos and Brown follow her to a club called DuJour's last night. She was there with a man nobody knows anything about," Tank explained.

"Pictures?" Tank handed him a few. Ranger's breath caught in his throat.

"Jesus Tank! She looks….." Ranger trailed off. The lighting of the club was poor, but she still looked so pale. Her face was drawn. She looked terminally ill. "Why didn't you get any of the guy she was with?" Didn't he teach his men anything?

"Santos insisted he did. But he wasn't in one picture. He swore the guy was right up against her. Brown confirmed it. I'm sorry man. I don't know what else to tell you," Tank replied.

"Is she sick? Tank she looks like she's fucking dying." Ranger was beside himself. He had a nagging suspicion that the situation was bad. All his senses had been on full alert. But, he in no way was prepared for what he saw in the pictures.

"Nobody knows."

"Take me to her right now," Ranger commanded. He tried to call her again. Voice mail. The drive from Newark to Trenton took days or so it felt like. Before Tank could park the SUV, Ranger jumped out and ran up to her apartment. Out of habit, he started to pick the lock but thought better of it. Stephanie would be furious if he barged in on her and another man. Shit, he would be furious if he found another man in her bed. He gently knocked at first but became more persistent after a few minutes. He placed an ear to the door and could the shuffling of feet approaching. The door opened a crack.

"What are you doing here, Ranger?" She was wearing dark sunglasses. Her skin looked almost white against her dark curls. She looked worse than the photos. She made no move to open the door wider or invite him in. He swallowed hard at the thought she had someone there.

"I just got back, Babe. I wanted to see you." Damn. He couldn't see her eyes. Her eyes always gave away her thoughts.

"How is Julie?"

"Better. She's going to continue with counseling. Uh…are you going to let me in?" She stared at him for a brief moment then opened the door wider. She turned and headed for the couch. He walked in searching the apartment for anything out of the ordinary. "Have anything to drink?" She pointed to the kitchen. He looked in the fridge and was shocked to see it empty. He looked through the cabinets and found only hamster pellets. He mentally sighed before following her into the living room. She was curled up on the couch wrapped in a comforter. "Is everything okay, Babe?" She yawned and nodded.

"Everything is fine, Ranger." He didn't see any signs of a man in her apartment. He sat in the chair opposite her. They engaged in a staring match. She showed no signs of backing down.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me it's nothing, Babe. You don't return anyone's calls. You look like hell. There's no food in the house. Don't bullshit me," Ranger insisted. It came out a little more forceful than he intended. She stood up and walked to the door.

"Thanks for coming, Ranger." She opened the door and gestured for him to leave. Christ, what was going on here? What happened over the past few months? She sighed when he didn't get up right away. "Look, I'm seeing someone. I'm moving on with my life. Joe is a great guy, but he is not the one for me. You don't do relationships, so you're not the one for me either. I appreciate you coming to check on me, but it's not necessary anymore. Please leave." Ranger was floored. She never kicked him out before. He pulled himself out of the chair. He took his time because he wasn't sure if his legs would actually support his weight. He wasn't going to push her right now. It was obvious that she was sick. Was it drugs? Did this new man in her life start her on drugs? As he walked up to her, she lowered her head and refused to look at him. He saw what looked like a bruise on her neck. He reached out to touch it, but she slapped his hand away.

"What's that?"

"It's nothing. Do you mind?" She waved her arm to the open door.

"I'll leave, but we're not finished, Babe. There is something going on with you. I'm sorry I haven't been here for you, Stephanie. This is all my fault…." She waved him off.

"It's not your fault, Ranger. Things change. You said you loved me…in your own way. Well, I loved you in every way. I loved Morelli, too. But I found my soul mate. Someone who loves me for who I am and wants a relationship. We are meant to be together. I just want everyone to leave me alone so I can live my life….please." She gently shoved him into the hall and closed the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 3

Ranger had only been back in Trenton eight hours before he got called for a Government job. He passed on the previous two so he had no choice but to go. The job came at the worst possible time. He gave Tank some last minute instructions as he packed. "I want her followed. I want to know who this guy is." Ranger yanked the zipper closed on his duffel. "This job is only going to take about a week. Just keep her safe until I get back. I'll call Morelli then, and we'll figure out what to do." Tank nodded. Ranger called Stephanie one last time before he left. As expected, he got her voice mail. "I'll be in the wind, Babe. I'll see you when I get back. Call Tank for…anything."

Morelli checked his answering machine the second he got back home. There was a message from a very anxious Helen Plum. She hadn't seen or heard from Stephanie all week. After speaking to Helen, Morelli became frantic. He called Stephanie for what seemed like the millionth time. Fucking voice mail! He refused to leave another message that would go unanswered like the others. Thinking Ranger was still in Miami, he called Tank. Tank filled him in on everything he knew. He also explained that Ranger had planned to call him when he got back from his latest job. Morelli thanked him and disconnected. He drove straight over to her apartment.

When she didn't answer, Morelli let himself in using his key. Stephanie wasn't home. Only the sound of Rex running on his wheel. Stephanie was by no stretch of the imagination a neat freak, but the place was unkempt. Even for her. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He looked through the kitchen. Nothing in the fridge. No dishes in the sink. No Ben and Jerry's in the freezer. "What's going on, Cupcake?" he muttered aloud. He didn't like this situation one bit. Something was so very wrong here. He noticed the blinking light on her answering machine. Pushing the button, the digital voice said, "You have 78 new messages."

Morelli didn't care if she would be angry with him or not. He was going to stay there until she got home. He called Tank again. Tank reported that Ranger was having her followed, but the team watching her last night lost her trail. Morelli told him he was at her apartment and was going to stay until she got back. They both promised to keep each other informed. He called to have Pino's delivered and turned on the TV. It was well after midnight before he finally dropped off to sleep on her couch.

Morelli was jolted awake by the ringing of his cell phone. It was the station. A body was found at the park. "Be right there." He poked his head in her room. The bed was empty. Stephanie hadn't come home last night. Maybe she was with that guy Tank told me about, he wondered. He ducked into the bathroom to take care of business. He used her toothpaste to freshen up his mouth before heading out.

There were several police cars parked along the curb. He could see the area where the body was by the yellow tape that sectioned it off. Heaviness grew in the pit of his stomach as he walked towards the scene. It wasn't till he saw the look on Eddie Gazzara's face that this could be Stephanie. No way. This must just be a really bad scene. Eddie looked up as he approached. His eyes were red rimmed and filled with tears. His face told him what he didn't want to hear. Morelli stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes darted back and forth from Eddie to the crime scene. His mouth went dry. "No," he croaked. He broke from his paralysis and ran towards to taped area. Carl and Big Dog seemed to come out of nowhere and restrained him. "Is it Stephanie?" Carl looked down at the ground but nodded. "Jesus! Oh my God! No…it's not her! You're wrong!" He pulled away making it only a few feet farther before Big Dog tackled him.

"You can't go in there. They're collecting the evidence. You don't want to fuck up any chances of nailing this mother fucker…do you?" Morelli was speechless. He grabbed Big Dog, and his body was wracked with sobs. This can't be happening, he said to himself. She can't be dead. It seemed like hours before he was able to get control of himself. "How? What happened?"

"They're not really sure," Carl told him. "There is no obvious trauma to her body. She has a bruise and a little blood on her neck, but it doesn't look like she was strangled. The ME is going to have to figure this one out." They all turned their attention to a commotion on the sidewalk. Several members of the press had just shown up. "Jesus, that's all we need now."

"Keep them away. They got off on humiliating her every time something went wrong. I'll be damned if I let them turn her death into a fucking circus," Morelli told them. As if almost on cue, two black SUVs pulled up. Tank and the Merry Men jumped out. He watched as Tank ordered the men to help secure the scene. For the first time, Morelli was actually grateful to see them show up. Once the press was held in place, he stared as Tank marched over to him.

"Is it Stephanie?" Morelli nodded. Tank dropped his face into his hands. Tank knelt down in front of Morelli. "We heard there was a body found over the scanner. When you didn't answer your phone, I got a bad feeling." Morelli's hand flew to his pocket. He didn't have his phone on him. He must have left it in his truck or at Stephanie's. "What happened?" Carl told him what they knew.

"Does Ranger know?" Morelli asked. Tank shook his head.

"Not yet. That's not a call I'm looking forward to." Tank put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. We all loved, Stephanie. She was like a little sister to us." Morelli nodded again. "We'll help keep the maggots out of the area for you." Tank rose and went back to his men.

Two long and excruciating hours later, Morelli was allowed to see her. Her body had been covered with a sheet. With his hand shaking, he slowly pulled back the cloth. Seeing that her eyes were open, he broke down again. No! Those amazing blue eyes that were so full of personality. Her normally bright blue eyes were lifeless and dull. "Who did this to you Cupcake?" he sobbed. "I'll get him. I swear I'll get him and make him pay. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. Jesus, Steph! I love you so much." He hugged her body through the sheet. A hand on his shoulder told him it was time for them to take her away.

Morelli struggled to get up. When he opened his eyes, the Chief was standing in front of him. "I'm assuming you want to be the one to inform her family?" Morelli nodded.

"I'll go there right now. With the Burg grapevine probably already alerted, this is going to get out quickly." The Chief expressed his condolences. Tank was leaning up against Morelli's truck. "I'm on my way to tell her parents." Tank gave him a slight nod.

"I would like to be there with you when you tell them. I know Ranger would want to be represented," Tank explained. Morelli agreed. No point in turning this into a pissing contest now. Stephanie was gone. Whatever happened between her and Ranger was over. It didn't matter anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 4

The crowd at Stephanie's funeral was overwhelming the Trenton PD's and Rangeman's ability to keep things under control. The mood was somber enough but now greatly enhanced by the rain. Morelli sat with the Plum family. Frank looked like a zombie. Helen hadn't been sober since hearing the news of Stephanie's death. Grandma Mazur hadn't uttered a sound at all. Val clung to Albert and the girls. Morelli's eyes wandered around at the eclectic crowd that had come to pay their lasts respects. Just about all the off-duty Trenton Police were there. Tank had told him he brought in contract staff to help with crowd control and to let his staff attend. Even some of Stephanie's skips showed up. Connie and Lula were hanging on to Vinnie. He had to smile. Stephanie really would have appreciated this turn out.

Then his thoughts turned to Ranger. Although he couldn't understand why, he felt sorry for the poor bastard. He still didn't know about Stephanie yet. If he did, he would have moved heaven and earth to be there. And as much as he hated to admit it, Stephanie would have wanted him there. Jesus, he thought to himself, I still can't believe this happened. Morelli swore her job would be the end of her. So far, the Trenton Police had no leads on the man she had been seen with. The Chief refused to let him work or help with the case. He knew Tank and Rangeman were also doing their own investigation. Maybe he would ask….hell… he'd beg them to let him help. Someone took Stephanie away from him. He couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

A day later, Tank got the phone call he had been dreading. Ranger immediately asked about Stephanie. Tank took a deep breath and told him. "I'm sorry, Ranger. Stephanie's…..uh…she's dead." There was a full minute of silence before Ranger spoke.

"What happened?" he asked thickly.

"Her body was found in the park three days ago. M.E. said she died from exsanguination. He couldn't explain how. She was buried yesterday. I knew you would want to be represented. We helped with security. The cops have no leads. We don't have much either."

"My flight lands first thing in the morning. I'll email you the information to pick me up." Ranger disconnected. He sat there staring at the wall for hours. He felt numb. He didn't feel any pain or sadness. He just felt….nothing. He was not prepared for this. His brain and his heart refused to accept this information. His Babe was gone….forever. She was the bright light in his dark world. When he and his men were knee deep in shit, he could always count on her to do or say something to lift his mood. She had been at death's door too many times to count. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought she was impervious to death. How could a woman who was so full of life be dead? All this time, he denied himself a relationship with her because he thought his life would put her in danger. It wasn't supposed to end like this. One thing was certain, whoever did this to her would be severely punished. Death would be too kind for him.

Ranger requested to be taken straight to the cemetery. He had to see her. Even if it was only her grave site. Tank waited by the SUV to give Ranger his privacy. It wasn't much to look at…just freshly turned earth and a small grave marker. There was no headstone yet. Tank told him he heard that Grandma Mazur was the one to pick it out because her parents were too overcome with grief. God only knows what that thing is going to look like. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Babe," his shaky voice whispered. He remembered the conversation they had the last time they had spoken. She told him that she loved him. He closed his eyes to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. She did love him. He placed a single red rose at the base of the marker. It looked a little lost among the vast number of baskets of flowers around her grave. The numbness that he had felt was gone. It was replaced with tremendous pain and guilt. The legendary control he had over his emotions was broken. Ranger sank to his knees and sobbed.

Morelli saw the black SUV as he pulled up. Tank was leaning against the door. He realized that Ranger must have returned. He parked behind the SUV and walked over to Tank. Tank greeted him with a nod. "Is Ranger here?" Tank just nodded again. "Is he….uh…how is he?"

"He's dealing…just like the rest of us." Morelli gave him a tight smile.

"Look," Morelli began, "the Chief won't let me near this case. I can't just sit by and do nothing. I know Rangeman is looking into finding Steph's killer. I want to help." Tank just looked at him. "Please?"

"That will be up to the boss." Tank leaned back against the door. "Aren't you going to the grave?"

"Well…yeah. I just figured I'd give Ranger some privacy," Morelli explained.

"He's been here a few hours now. I think it would be okay." Morelli nodded to Tank and began to walk towards the grave site. He found Ranger still on his knees.

Upon hearing footsteps, Ranger collected himself and stood. He turned to see Morelli approaching. "Morelli."

"Ranger." Morelli walked up beside him, and they stood in silence staring at the ground. "It doesn't seem real…does it?"

"No, it doesn't." The two men stood shoulder to shoulder in silence. Both staring at the dirt that covered the woman they both loved. Ranger turned to Morelli. "I'm very sorry for your loss." Ranger looked him in the eye before he started to leave. Morelli was surprised to find his eyes red rimmed and blood shot. So Batman does have feelings, he said to himself. Morelli lightly placed his hand on Ranger's arm to stop him.

"She was your loss, too. I know you loved her as much as I did," Morelli told him. "I don't blame you for falling in love with her. Shit…I really hated you for it. And I hated that she loved you, too. But, I understand it all now."

"If you want to help us find this son of a bitch, you're welcome to join the team. But be warned Morelli, I am not concerned about reading this mother fucker his rights. As far as I'm concerned, he had no rights and will be sentenced to die. Right after I inflict as much pain that is humanly possible. I don't give a shit about the law. Do I make myself clear?" Ranger's eyes narrowed. The pain in his eyes was replaced with anger and hatred.

"Crystal. I was going to ask you if I could help. The Chief shut me out. If I have to, I'll turn in my badge. I want exactly what you want," Morelli replied. Ranger extended his hand, and he shook it.

"We'll be in touch." Ranger headed back to the SUV. Morelli stayed behind to be with Stephanie for a while.


	6. Chapter 6

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 5

Morelli finished getting dressed and headed down stairs when there was a pounding on his door. What now, he asked himself. It was the Chief and Eddie Gazzara. He could tell by the look in their eyes that something was wrong. "Please tell me you had nothing to do with it," the Chief begged.

"With what? What are you talking about?" he asked them over his shoulder as he headed to the kitchen. They followed behind him.

"Stephanie Plum's grave. Look, I know you are having a hard time with her death. But tell me you didn't!" the Chief pleaded. Morelli froze.

"What about her grave?" He looked back and forth between the two men.

"Last night, someone dug up her grave," Eddie explained. "Her body is missing." Morelli grabbed the counter for support.

"Jesus," he muttered. Even in death, she had stalkers. There was no peace for her. "Did you tell her parents?"

"The grounds keeper called her father just before he called the police," Eddie told him. "Um…there was something….uh…that was a little….strange." The Chief nodded for him to continue. "The inside of the casket had…." Eddie paused to swallow. "…claw marks. Like she tried to claw her way out."

"Get the fuck outta here," Morelli replied angrily. "That's sick. Are you trying to suggest that she was buried alive? I'm not in any mood for jokes, Eddie!"

"It's not a joke, Joe. I saw it with my own eyes. Some sick fuck desecrated her grave and scratch up her casket. You were reported by the grounds keeper as the last person seen at the grave site. No, I don't think you did this, but I had to ask," the Chief said. "I plan on talking to Manoso as well. He was seen there also."

Morelli nodded and sat down. This was like a nightmare from which he couldn't awaken. When the news broke, it was going to be worse that a circus. "Do you honestly think Ranger did it?" The Chief shook his head. "Can I go with you?"

"I still don't think it's a good idea for you to be involved in this, Joe. You're too close to it. You won't be thinking straight. But….you can come with us to Rangeman," the Chief conceded. Morelli poured himself coffee in a travel mug and let Bob in from the back yard.

"Let's go."

Morelli thought about Ranger's reaction on the way over to his office. For all he knew, they heard about it already. Ranger never missed a thing. Maybe they found something out about that mystery man Stephanie had been seeing. His instincts told him that he did have something to do with her death and her body's disappearance. Don't worry Cupcake, he said to himself, we'll get you back and lay you to rest.

Just as Morelli suspected, the Rangeman staff were already working on the situation. Ranger's face showed no emotion what so ever. The tension in the office was heavy and thick. When asked if Ranger had anything to do with it, he just answered in a deadpanned flat, "No." The Chief thanked him for his time and motioned for Gazzara and Morelli to follow him. "I'd like Detective Morelli to stay, Chief. Stephanie had insurance and other benefits that I would like to review with him. We can drop him off when we are done." The Chief nodded, and they left.

"Did she have insurance with Rangeman?" Ranger nodded.

"Yes, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You still are serious about working with us, aren't you?"

"Hell yes! Especially now. Whoever killed her…did this. And it's probably that guy she was with. Have you found out anything on him yet?" Ranger pulled out a chair for him to sit.

"No. Nothing. If there weren't people that had seen her with him, I wouldn't believe that he even existed." Ranger motioned for Tank to come in his office before closing the door. "We checked out the grave site just after we got the news. There is no sign that a backhoe was used. There are no footprints. And the casket…." Ranger trailed off and dropped his gaze. "It looks like she clawed her way out."

"You don't believe she was buried alive…do you?" Morelli was incredulous. Ranger shook his head.

"Even if that was possible? Would a live person survive being buried without oxygen for a few days? Of course not. She had a lot of stalkers. We can narrow it down to one of them or the mystery man in her life." Ranger rubbed his eyes with both hands. He looked as bad as Morelli. Neither of them had gotten much sleep.

"This is like a bad horror movie," Tank muttered. Ranger and Morelli glared at him. "I'm not saying it's real but look at the facts. The M.E. report said her blood was drained. There were two small puncture marks on her neck. The day after she's put in the ground, someone digs her up and her coffin looks like she tried to scratch her way out. It's fucking weird is all I'm saying."

"Oh…so I should start wearing a cross and garlic around my neck incase Stephanie shows up at my door?" Morelli sarcastically asked him. Tank frowned.

"I'm not saying she's a fucking vampire, Morelli!" Tank growled. Ranger put his hands up.

"Enough! The only thing I agree with Tank is that the killer is a sick and twisted fuck. He probably killed her someplace and dumped her body in the park. He wants her body as a God damn trophy. I refuse to let him disrespect her like that! Tank…have someone ask around at DuJour's every night about that guy. Eventually, someone will come in that knows who he is. Morelli, can you look around Stephanie's apartment to see what you can find? We've pulled her phone records and are checking numbers." Morelli nodded. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, but maybe he would find something. "Christ, I can't believe this is all we have to go on!" Ranger slammed the file on his desk. "Tank can drop you off. But first, I wanted to give you this to give to Steph's parents." He handed Morelli an insurance check for $100,000.00. "She listed her parents as her beneficiary on her Rangeman life insurance policy. This will help cover her funeral expenses and then some."

"I'm sure they will want to call you to say thanks. I understand that her parents aren't handling this well at all," Morelli told him.

"I know. I have a team watching the house. I don't want them bothered right now." Morelli extended his hand to Ranger. Ranger rose to shake it.

"I'll call you as soon as I look through her apartment." Ranger and Tank walked him to the door. "I really appreciate you letting me help with this." Morelli smirked. "Can you imagine what she would say if she saw us working together?" The corners of Ranger's mouth twitched. Tank dropped Morelli off at his house, and he hopped into his truck to drive straight to Stephanie's apartment.

Nothing in the apartment was changed or touched since he had been there last. If this had been the murder scene, the investigator would have torn the place apart. Rex! Shit…he forgot about Rex! He looked into his container. He was sleeping in the soup can. Water and pellets were in the cage. The super must be feeding him, he thought. He decided he wanted that damn rat. Stephanie would have wanted someone to take care of him. He could keep Bob company. He looked around the living room. Nothing. Reluctantly, he made his way to the bedroom. He thought about all the times they made love in that bed.

Nothing seemed to be out of order or anything missing. His heart ached. Morelli laid across her bed, resting his head on her pillow. He could still smell her shampoo and her natural scent on the sheets and pillow case. The tears silently fell. "God Cupcake….I miss you so much," he cried.

It took him a while to get himself together. Deciding he found nothing to go one, he rolled over to get off the bed. Something crinkled under him. It was a note.

S,

Sorry to leave you my Darling. I will see you again soon.

All my love,

Christian

Morelli jumped up to find a plastic baggie. He didn't want to ruin any fingerprints or DNA evidence on it. "Thank Christ," he muttered when he found a zip lock bag. He used his pen to flick it into the bag. After zipping it closed, he called Ranger. "The bastard's name is Christian. He left her a note. I'll be right there."


	7. Chapter 7

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 6

There was another set of prints on the note in addition to Stephanie's. No one came up as a match. A couple of people remembered seeing Stephanie with a sandy-haired man, but no one knew who he was. Dead end after dead end. Ranger pushed himself and his men all week. Rangeman was looking into some missing person cases and a few unsolved murders that had similar injuries to Stephanie's. Whoever did this must be a professional, Ranger mused. His tracks were perfectly covered. His mind started to drift to the one night they spent together. As much as he wanted more, he knew he could never give Stephanie enough of himself to keep her happy. It was a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life. He could have had her all to himself. All he had to do was tell her that he loved her and wanted her. But no. He gave her line after line of pure crap. Ranger sighed and dropped his head back against the chair. "I'm sorry, Babe. This is all my fault," he whispered to his empty office.

It was almost one month after Stephanie's death. Ranger and Morelli were still no closer to finding her killer or her body. Ranger refused to give up, but he could no longer push his men around the clock like he had been doing. He had been forcing mandatory overtime. At first, none of the Merry Men complained. They all loved Stephanie too. They didn't seem to mind giving up their nights and weekends and social lives. The guys were just as motivated to find the killer as Ranger was. But…it had been a month with nothing to show for it. Tempers were short, and nerves were frayed. The stress was taking its toll. Ranger also had been letting his business slip. Reluctantly, Ranger made the decision to scale back the resources for the search for Stephanie's killer.

Morelli tried to throw himself into work to keep him busy. When he wasn't working, he was helping Rangeman track down leads. While getting ready for bed, he took a good look at himself in the mirror. He didn't even recognize his own reflection. His hair was about an inch or two past his ears. He hadn't shaved in weeks. He wasn't sure how much weight he lost, but his clothes were loose. He knew he needed to take better care of himself, but it just didn't seem to matter with Stephanie gone. He knew Stephanie would hate that he let himself go like that. She wouldn't want him wasting away feeling sorry for himself. That thought was the only thing that kept him going. Plus, he wanted to see Stephanie's killer pay for what he did. He started to head for the bedroom, but turned back towards the sink. He grabbed his shaving cream, razor, and began to shave. When he was finished, he went down to the kitchen to eat. He needed to stay healthy and alert. If he didn't, he would only get weaker and maybe miss the most subtle clue to catch that mother fucker.

Not having to work for the first Saturday in a month, Lester and Bobby decided to take the train to New York City. They wanted to get as far away from Trenton as possible. Ranger had been riding them so hard these past few weeks. Not that they blamed him. Losing Stephanie like that was hard on him. They weren't quite sure what their relationship had been because she had been with the cop as well. The only thing they were sure of was that Ranger loved her. He never confessed his feelings to anyone. Whenever she needed something, he dropped what he was doing and ran to her. He gave her cars and let her stay at his apartment. He even assigned them to follow her around to protect her. Losing her was devastating enough for him, but to have her body stolen added insult to injury. So to say they needed to get out and unwind was a major understatement.

Two clubs and several drinks later, they hit China Club hoping to meet some hot celebrities. Nothing major seemed to be happening. The waitress brought their first round. The surrounding tables appeared to be engrossed watching a couple on the dance floor. Def Leppard's _Animal_ pounded through the speaker system. The couple was dancing a rocked out kind of tango to the beat of the music. The woman was tall with long, curly brown hair. Her sandy haired partner was a half a head taller. She wore a black leather vest and black spandex pants that were tucked into low heeled black western style boots. The man was clad in a black silk blouse and leather pants. Watching the two of them move together was mesmerizing. At the end of the song, the man dramatically dipped his partner so that her hair touched the floor.

Bobby did a double take. Damn that girl looks like Steph, he thought. The man slowly pulled her back up and drew her close to his body. They shared a passionate kiss. His hands slid down her back to cup her ass holding her tight. The woman turned to leave the dance floor. "Fuck me," Bobby whispered. If it wasn't Stephanie then it had to be her twin. Bobby slowly rose from the table.

Lester looked up at Bobby. He was standing there visibly paled and mouth open. "Hey," Lester began tapping his arm. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I have." Bobby pointed to the couple across the dance floor. "Please tell me that's not Stephanie Plum." Lester jumped up and looked to where Bobby pointed. He could only see the back of her head. The man turned around.

"That does look like the guy she was with," Lester agreed. They watched as the man pulled on his jacket and helped the woman on with hers. She spun around as he put his arm around her shoulders before they headed to the exit. "Holy Shit. I don't fucking believe this, Bobby. I think that _is_ Stephanie." Both men were in a state of shock and unable to move. By the time the couple reached the bottom of the stairs to leave, they sprung into action. Fighting their way through the crowd slowed them down.

Bursting on to the sidewalk, they frantically looked left and right to see where the couple went. Bobby felt Lester pull him to the right. "Get your phone out, man! Get a picture!" Lester ordered him. The man was sitting on a Harley Davidson and putting on his helmet. The woman swung her leg over and straddled the bike. "Stephanie!" Upon hearing her name, she turned around and stared at the two of them for a second. Giving them a sly smile and a finger wave, she pulled on her helmet and wrapped her arms around the man as they pulled away. Bobby snapped several pictures. "Jesus, Bobby! That was Stephanie….right?"

"Uh…I don't know what to think anymore," Bobby stammered. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Stephanie was dead, he repeated over and over in his head. It was definitely the man they had seen with Stephanie at DuJour's.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" Lester asked. "I mean…do we call Ranger and tell him we found Steph's body? He'll ask where, and then I'll say she was on the back of a Harley in New York City. He'll fucking beat the shit out of us." Bobby scrolled through the pictures.

"He won't believe it until we show him the pictures." His eyes widened. "What the fuck?"

"What's wrong? Didn't you get the shot?" Bobby held out the phone to show him. "What the fuck?" The pictures were just of the Harley. The couple had vanished from the shot. "This is so fucked up, Bobby. What are we going to do?" Bobby shrugged and put his phone away.

"We'll tell Tank when we get back. If I call him now, he'll be pissed off and think we were seeing things because we're drunk. I know we've had a lot to drink, but I know what we saw," Bobby replied. Lester nodded in agreement. "Let's get the fuck outta here. This place is giving me the creeps."


	8. Chapter 8

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 7

"_That wasn't smart. You were seen, Sabine."_

"_I know."_

"_They will come looking for you."_

"_Christian," she sighed, "I'm sure they have been looking for me this whole time. Ranger and Morelli won't give up that easy. Did you think leaving the open casket at the grave site was a good idea?"_

"_No," he agreed, "But I didn't have much time. You know what has to happen if they find you, don't you?"_

"_Yes."_

If he hadn't known Bobby and Lester for as long as he did, Tank would have dismissed their claims as some drunken hallucination. Not only were they both sure of what they had seen, but they were both scared. Bobby and Lester didn't get scared. He'd been in combat with both men, and they were solid. The pictures Bobby had taken were downloaded and enlarged. It was a nice bike, Tank thought to himself. They insisted Stephanie and the mystery man were sitting on that bike. What was odd was that the bike appeared to be holding itself straight. The kickstand was up, and the bike didn't lean. He decided to look into this by himself. Ranger couldn't handle another dead end. He was on the edge and getting closer to snapping at any moment.

The license plate! Tank ran a search on the plate. It was registered to a corporation called Starlite Enterprises. They were based in New York. Starlite had no web page, and his Google search showed nothing. He would have to go to that address and check it out in person. He instructed Bobby and Lester to keep quiet until he was able to investigate this information further.

Tank had been very uneasy about Stephanie's death. The whole situation had an evil vibe to it. His mother was born and raised in Haiti. She always told tales of voodoo, curses, black magic, and zombies. Although he would never admit it to Ranger, Tank was very superstitious and believed every word of it. Like everyone else around her, Tank, too, was devastated by Stephanie's death. The circumstances were odd but nothing to make him believe it was anything but a normal homicide. He should have known better that nothing was ever normal when it came to Stephanie Plum. When he saw the claw marks on the inside of the casket, he knew. He knew from the depths of his soul that something supernatural was at work. Something that was pure evil. The mystery man who took Stephanie's life was from that dark world. His image could not be caught on film. Stephanie was still alive at the time Lester took the pictures of them at DuJour's. That man, whom ever he was, dragged Stephanie into his world.

The address was an empty building not too far from Battery Park. Tank found a locked door in the alley that separated it from the next building. It was still daylight, and he didn't want to be seen breaking in there. The office building next door had its lights on, so Tank decided to ask them about Starlite. No one had ever seen anyone going in or out of that building in over a year. They never heard of Starlite either. Tank thanked them for their time, but left his business card to contact him if they did see anyone over there. Looking at his watch, he realized he still had time before dark so he went to get something to eat. The receptionist picked up the phone after he left and placed a call.

Sitting on a bench in Battery Park, Tank watched the sun set. As darkness fell around him, he made his way back to the abandon building. The streets quieted down after the commuter rush had dwindled. Tank inconspicuously, as much as a 6'6", 350 lbs man could be inconspicuous, slipped down the alley. Making sure he was not followed, he picked the lock and let himself in the building. Using his flashlight to show the way, he wandered from room to room. Some rooms were empty. Some had old desks and chairs. There were no footprints in the dust on the floor. He checked out the other six floors. Nothing. Not a God damn thing. Shaking his head in disgust, he headed back to the first floor. He started to believe that the stress had been getting to him, and he was losing it like Ranger. That was until he felt a presence in the room with him.

"Looking for me, Tank?" Tank whirled around and shone his flashlight in the direction of the voice. It was Stephanie. She sat on one of the old desks, legs crossed and leaning back on her hands.

"Jesus," he whispered as his mouth went dry. Stephanie uncrossed her legs, slowly slid off the desk, and walked towards him. The sound of her heels clicking on the wooden floor was all he heard over the pounding of his heart. He took a step back. Stephanie laughed and put her hands on her hips.

"Since when are you afraid of me, Tank?"

"You're dead…." Tank babbled. Tank had never been afraid in his entire life…until now. He was terrified. Stephanie took a few more steps forward until she was a foot in front of him.

"I wish you didn't come here, Tank. I really do. You know I can't let you go."

"What are you talking about Stephanie? What are you going to do?" Tank stammered. He knew she was talking about killing him.

"Just get it over with Sabine," Christian sighed as he entered the room. He knew she would hesitate. She still had a hard time with killing to feed. This person was a friend of hers which made it all the more difficult. Tank whipped his head around to look at the mystery man.

"Who are you?" Tank turned himself so that he could keep both of them in his line of sight.

"Tank…this is Christian. He's my…soul mate?" She glanced at Christian for confirmation. "We've been together for a long time. Many life times actually." Stephanie smiled. Tank's stomach rolled as he saw the elongated canine teeth. "He finally found me again. Now…we'll be together forever." Tank continued to stare into Stephanie's sapphire blue eyes. Her gaze was almost hypnotic. He started to feel a little at ease. When he felt the stinging and burning pain in his neck, he was no longer afraid.

"I'm sorry Tank. This won't hurt. I promise." Stephanie's sweet and reassuring voice was the last thing he heard as he drifted off into the blackness.


	9. Chapter 9

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 8

It had been twenty four hours since anyone had heard from Tank. Tank had disabled the GPS unit in the Rangeman SUV because he didn't want Ranger to know where he had gone. Ranger had been so tied up with an account he didn't even realize Tank had been missing for a while. Ranger called his cell but only got his voice mail. Damn voice mail! He started to get an unsettling feeling. All he got was Stephanie's voice mail too before she died. He asked his men if anyone knew where Tank was. All they knew was he left yesterday after lunch time and hadn't been back. He looked around on Tank's desk and found the photo of the Harley and the information on Starlite. Ranger took the file to his office to investigate further.

Morelli got off the elevator and headed to the conference room that was set aside for the Stephanie Task force. He nodded to the men stationed at the monitor bay as he passed. A few minutes after settling in, Ranger appeared in the door way. "Have you heard from Tank?" Morelli shook his head. Ranger tossed the file to Morelli. "Do you know about this?" Morelli opened the file and quickly scanned the photo and information.

"No. I don't think we've looked at anything in New York yet. When was the last time anyone's heard from him?" Morelli asked.

"Yesterday around noon. I don't like it. I've got a bad feeling about this." Bobby and Lester entered the conference room. They just found out that Tank was MIA. They nervously exchanged glances. "Talk!"

"Okay, Tank told us not to mention this until he checked it out. You….both of you…well…" Bobby trailed off.

"Brown!" Ranger warned.

"We saw the guy that Stephanie was with at a club in the city," Lester offered. He looked back at Bobby. Ranger and Morelli's heads snapped up.

"When? Why wasn't I notified?" Ranger was furious. The first break in the case, and they kept it from him.

"I think you better sit down, Ranger, because there's more," Bobby insisted. Ranger locked eyes with Bobby for a few seconds but complied. "He was with a woman. I'm not saying it was her, but…..it….it looked like Stephanie."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Morelli growled. "She's dead. He's probably moved on to someone that looks like her. Why the fuck didn't you grab him?" Ranger put a hand on Morelli's shoulder.

"How do you know it was Stephanie?" Ranger asked calmly.

"It was Stephanie," Bobby said softly as he leaned forward palms down on the table. "We called her name. She turned and looked directly at us and smiled. She even did that little wave with her finger that she always does…uh…did. That's when I took the picture." Morelli held up the photo of the bike.

"Oh…you mean this?" Morelli just shook his head. "Nice bike but what's this got to do with anything?" Lester and Bobby again exchanged looks.

"They were sitting on that Harley when I took those pictures. That guy didn't show up when I took their picture at DuJour's that night. Only Stephanie came out…..because she was still alive then," Bobby explained. There was a long and uncomfortable silence. Morelli studied the photo. There was something odd about it. The Harley appeared to be holding itself upright. The kickstand wasn't down, and the bike wasn't leaning. Morelli looked up at Ranger.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Ranger just shook his head.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." He pulled the paper with the address for Starlite out of the stack. Without another word or backwards glance, Ranger strode out of the room. Morelli, Bobby, and Lester followed.

"Where are we going?" Morelli asked him as they caught up at the elevator.

"New York City," Ranger responded.

There was silence during the entire drive to New York. Ranger drove with Morelli sitting shot gun. Bobby and Lester were in the back seat. No one knew what to expect. It wasn't like Tank to not check in at all. Ranger understood why he did it. Tank was protecting him from more heartache. Tank was the only person who knew how he really felt about Stephanie. Tank knew all about the fucked up deal he made with her over DeChooch. Tank knew how he pushed her away and back into the arms of Morelli. Tank knew how much he regretted that night ever since. Tank knew how devastated he was over her death. Now, something happened to Tank. Ranger felt it. Tank threw out the rules to protect his best friend. He went in without back up, and something happened.

There was a parking garage a block down from the address for Starlite. By luck or by fate, it was the same place that Tank parked. Ranger spotted the Rangeman SUV immediately as he turned on to the second level. The hood was cool to the touch. The ticket was on the dash. Tank had checked in to the garage yesterday afternoon. It was unknown if he had come back to the SUV for any reason. "Let's check out Starlite," Ranger told them.

The address for Starlite was an abandon building. Bobby pointed to the side entrance down the alley between the buildings. Ranger didn't want to be seen breaking into the building from the sidewalk. They were surprised to find the door unlocked. Tank's foot prints in the dust of the floor were clearly made out. Ranger drew his gun followed by Bobby and Lester. They followed the single line of foot prints to a back room on the first floor by the staircase. A second set of what looked like a man's print was found as well as a smaller set. Ranger guessed it was a female's due to the size and that it looked like a high heel print. Tank's prints turned to scuff marks, as if he shuffled backwards. This led to a small pool of blood. Then nothing. The foot prints of the other two stopped. There were no drag marks. Tank was a large man. Even Ranger needed help to carry him. There were no foot prints leading away from the blood. Not one. "What the fuck happened here?" Ranger muttered.

"Should we call NYPD?" Morelli asked. Ranger nodded.

"First, Santos…Brown….check out the rest of the building. I don't want any evidence disturbed until we look at it first," Ranger ordered.

"Yes sir!" they answered in unison and began a floor to floor search. All they found were Tank's foot prints. Ranger nodded to Morelli who called the police. He told the officer who he was and gave him a little information about Tank.

"Jesus," Morelli muttered. "When?" They looked at Morelli expectantly. "Detective McBrady? …Okay, tell him we'll meet him there." Morelli snapped his phone shut and swallowed hard. He looked Ranger in the eye. This was going to be hard on him. First, he lost Stephanie…now his best friend. "They found a headless body in the river…by Battery Park. Tall African-American. Dressed in black. It's just a couple blocks from here." Bobby and Lester looked at Ranger. Blank mask was in place. "I'm sorry." They all waited for Ranger to say or do something.

"Let's go," he finally replied and headed to the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 9

Tank's will was very specific. He wanted to be cremated without any fancy funeral. His ashes were to be delivered to his mother. Ranger knew the drill. Many times, he and Tank talked about their final wishes when it looked like they might not have made it. Ranger faxed his power of attorney paper work and a copy of Tank's will with his instructions to the New York City Medical Examiner's Office. When they were finished with their examination, the remains would be cremated and released to Ranger to make the final arrangements. The numbness he felt after finding out about Stephanie was back. Brown had offered to drive back to Trenton but Ranger refused. He needed something to help him stay focused. Upon returning to Haywood, Ranger told them to take the night off and for Morelli to go home. He grabbed the file for Starlite and retreated to the 7th floor.

Morelli let Bob out the back door, threw his keys on the counter, and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. After chugging it down in one long gulp, Morelli slammed the bottle on the counter. Beer wasn't going to cut it. He pulled the half full bottle of Southern Comfort from the cabinet. Even though he had a good reason to get drunk every night since Stephanie's death, he hardly touched a drop. His father was a drunk. He saw what that did to his mother and promised himself that he would never end up like his father. He poured himself a rather large glass of the Southern Comfort and put the rest away. If he didn't keep himself in check, he didn't doubt he would have any difficulty polishing off the rest of that bottle. He worked too hard to prove to his mother, Stephanie, and all of Trenton that Joe Morelli was not like his father. He wasn't going to let it all go to shit now. Stephanie would have been disappointed in him if he did. He felt the amber liquid's heat all the way down. One night. He would only take off one night before getting back to finding her killer. With Tank's death, Ranger needed a night off, too. He let Bob in and headed for the couch.

Ranger checked more into Starlite. Nothing. It was set up to be a dummy corporation. It had to be tied to something or someone else. There were some other properties associated with Starlite. An antique dealership. A mansion in Rumson. An auction house. Whoever this person was, he was able to hide his tracks well.

Morelli had gotten a good buzz from the Southern Comfort and started to doze off until Bob began to growl. He was facing the back door. "What's wrong, Boy?" Morelli rubbed his head to try to calm him down. He got up and somewhat staggered to the back door. The light wasn't on but he could see the outline of a person standing on the back porch. Opening the door and flicking the light on, the woman turned to face him. "Cupcake?" he whispered. He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes. He must have had more to drink than he realized.

"Hi Joe," she said. He continued to stare, jaw practically on the floor. She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Well…aren't you going to invite me in?" Morelli appeared to have lost his voice so he nodded. When she didn't move, he tried to speak.

"Yeah," he croaked. "Come in." Bob had been barking but know began to whine. Morelli nudged Bob with his knee to quiet him. Stephanie walked right up to him, placed her hands on the sides of his face, and gently kissed him.

"Did you miss me?" Morelli nodded again. This had to be a dream. Stephanie was gone. But it seemed so real. Fuck it. It didn't matter. If it was a dream, he would wake up tomorrow and nothing would be any different. Right now, she was here with him. He pulled her tight against him, kissed her passionately, felt her tongue battling with his again. She pushed him back towards the living room. There were so many questions running through his head. What happened? Where had she been? How is this even possible? At that moment, his heart took over telling him nothing else mattered because you love her.

As Ranger continued to dig deeper and deeper, one name continually popped up…Christian de Beauvoir. He knew this had to be the man Stephanie was involved with before her death. He ran several searches but information conflicted information. There were no photos of him. There were several birth certificates and birth dates for this name. This was not uncommon because there could possibly be hundreds or thousands of people with the same name. There was only one residential property connected with Starlite, and that was the mansion in Rumson. Ranger was pulled out of his thoughts by his cell phone. Because of Tank's death, he assigned a team to watch Morelli's house as well. Ranger stiffened at the report. A woman of Stephanie's description was seen entering Morelli's home. Ranger grabbed his keys and headed to the garage.

Before Morelli could suggest they continue in his bedroom, his front door was kicked in. Ranger and two of his men burst in. Ranger's eyes widened, and he and his men froze in place. "Babe," Ranger whispered. Stephanie had pushed off Morelli and backed towards the base of the stairs. It was obvious she was taken by surprise.

"Ranger?" she hissed back with canine teeth exposed. Another team broke in through the back door. They had her trapped with guns drawn and pointed at her.

"No!" Morelli cried as he tried to get in front of her. Ranger grabbed him roughly by the arm and shoved him out of the way. "Don't hurt her!"

"That's not Stephanie, Morelli. You know that," Ranger told him calmly. All of a sudden, Stephanie broke from the scene and ran up the stairs. Before they even reached the bottom step, the sound of glass exploding was heard. Ranger's men checked the other rooms and the surrounding area outside. She was gone.

"She's alive, Ranger," Morelli insisted. "There must have been a mistake. That was Stephanie." Morelli's eyes pleaded with Ranger's. But Ranger just shook his head.

"She's not what you think she is, Morelli, or do I have to spell it out for you?" Morelli dropped to his couch with his face in his hands.

"No…not her. Fuck! This can't be happening!" Morelli fought to hold back the tears. "This is so unreal! Do you honestly believe she's a…..vampire?" Ranger shrugged.

"I've been to hell and back and seen a lot of shit. I've never seen anything like this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. All I know is that the Stephanie Plum we know…died. Whoever or whatever was here tonight….I don't know," Ranger told him. "I don't think you are safe here. Might be a good idea for you to stay at Rangeman tonight in a vacant apartment. I've got an address in Rumson that we'll check out tomorrow." Morelli nodded. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Ranger added, "Yeah….it's okay to bring the dog and the rat."

"_What happened, Sabine?"_

"_I was…interrupted." She turned and walked onto the terrace looking at the night sky._

"_Interrupted? Or more like distracted?" He encircled his arms around her and pulled her close. Rolling her eyes, she sighed._

"_Ranger must have had men watching his house. They almost had me but I got away." She turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. "I don't think I can do this, Christian. I love you and want to be with you. But I can't kill them." He stroked her hair. "Let's just move away. Get out of this area. Please?"_

"_They've seen you, Sabine. They know what we are. Do you think they will stop looking for you?" A tear slid down her cheek as she shook her head._

"_No….they won't stop."_


	11. Chapter 11

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 10

One of Ranger's men led Morelli to a studio apartment on the 4th floor. Morelli dropped off Bob, Rex, and his duffel before heading up to the conference room on the 5th floor. He was way too keyed up to sleep. While it was true that Stephanie's murder did have a _Tales from the Crypt_ feel to it, he never in a million years dreamed anything like this was even possible. He reviewed the police and medical examiner's reports again. Knowing what he did now, the evidence smacked him in the face. "Jesus," he muttered. There were bite marks on her neck. She had been drained of all her blood. The casket. He swallowed hard as he remembered what the inside of her casket looked like after it had been exhumed. He looked through some of the missing person cases and unsolved murder files. There had been a few murders that were similar but none of the bodies had been completely drained of their blood like Stephanie. Morelli sat back in his chair and rubbed his face with both hands. Coffee, he said to himself, I need some coffee. As if almost on cue, Ranger entered the conference room with a mug in his hand.

"Thought you could use this." He placed the mug in front of Morelli.

"You read my mind," Morelli replied and sipped from the mug. Ranger sat across from him. "So…what do we do now?" Ranger continued to stare at Morelli.

"We find them and…..take care of it."

"You mean kill them."

"You can't kill something that is already dead, Morelli," Ranger told him. "Why do you think she came to see you tonight?" Morelli gaped back at Ranger with his mouth open. "You were an easier target. Would have been harder for her to get to me."

"Maybe she just wanted to see me," Morelli mumbled. He was trying more to convince himself what Ranger said wasn't true. He wanted to believe that she came to him because she loved him. Ranger nodded.

"I'm sure she did want to see you, but that doesn't change what she wanted to do." Ranger leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "This isn't easy for me either." Morelli nodded back.

"How are we going to do it? What…like do we drive a stake through her heart? What if this isn't like the movies? Do we need crosses and garlic? Fuck! I can't believe we're even talking about this!"

"The wooden stake through the heart was the most consistent with all the information on the internet. I have a lot of contacts but don't know any experts on the occult or vampires. I was never into horror or science fiction growing up," Ranger explained.

"Why do you think he wanted her? I mean….I don't think picked her out at random. What's their connection?" Ranger shrugged.

"The last time I saw her was when I got back from Miami. She told me she found her soul mate, and they were meant to be together. I never believed in reincarnation before either. Now….who knows?" Morelli sat up.

"You think they knew each other?" Ranger shrugged again. "Like in another life time?" Morelli sat back and took in this information. "So he finally finds her again and….wants to keep her?" Morelli gazed at Ranger with raised eyebrows.

"I know….this sounds crazy," Ranger agreed. "If you have another explanation, I'd be willing to hear it." Morelli became somber. Ranger slid another file across the table for him to review. "I think this is where he lives." Morelli grabbed the file and ripped it open.

"Rumson?" Ranger nodded. "Christian de Beauvoir. How'd you find this?"

"Starlite, as we found out, was a dummy corporation. I traced it through the auction house that was affiliated. Then, I found the antique dealership and the mansion. If all the other legends are true, we need to get there before sun down. I take it you want to come with me." Morelli nodded. Ranger stood up and stretched. "We'll get what we need first thing in the morning. I know it's not going to be easy but try to get some sleep. We'll need it for tomorrow."

Ranger stared at the ceiling of his bedroom for hours. He assumed that three floors below him, Morelli was doing the same thing. In the span of a few weeks, he lost the woman he loved and his best friend. Seeing her tonight nearly destroyed him. She went to him first. He consoled himself with the fact that she would not have been able to get in his building discreetly. Then again, she didn't show up in pictures. Would she have shown up on the monitors? He knew what had to be done. It was the only way to set her soul free, he told himself over and over. He would have to be strong. He made a promise to himself that he wouldn't fail her again.

By the time Ranger and Morelli collected what they needed, it was almost noon. The drive to Rumson was a little better than an hour. This would still give them plenty of daylight to do some reconnaissance when they arrived. Ranger handed Morelli another file to review during the drive. "How do you get this stuff?" he asked when he saw aerial photos of the property. "Forget it. I'm not sure I want to know." Ranger smirked.

"It's not really all that hard. You can get just about anything over the internet," Ranger answered. The house was set back off the road. There was plenty of cover from the surrounding trees. It was not gated. That was a plus. No fence to scale. Looked like a quiet neighborhood. There was no security system sign posted but that didn't mean that one was not in place. The drive way made a circle in front of the house and snaked around to the garage behind it. Ranger pulled in the driveway and parked behind the house.

No one came out to greet them. There was an eerie calmness all around them. "Do we just break in there now?" Morelli asked. Ranger gave him a slight nod. Morelli took in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "We'd be killing her. Isn't there another way? I don't know if I can do this."

Ranger stared at Morelli until he met his gaze. "There is no other way. She needs to be at peace. This is the only thing left that we can do for her. We will do this, Morelli, because we love her." This time, Morelli nodded. Ranger extended his right hand to him. He took it. "She needs you to stay strong. This isn't going to be easy."

"I know. Let's do this," Morelli responded. They exited the SUV. Each grabbed his duffel bag that contained the tools they thought they needed. Ranger made quick work of the lock on the patio door and let them both inside.


	12. Chapter 12

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Chapter 11

The house was tastefully decorated but not over the top. They entered through a family room that had a large field stone fireplace in the corner that opened to a huge gourmet kitchen. There was a collection of ornate swords on one wall, and several paintings on the other. Morelli did a double take as his eyes shot to the center painting. Stephanie. Ranger turned to see Morelli staring at one of the paintings. It took him a few seconds to realize who the subject of the painting was. He walked up behind Morelli. "At least we know we're in the right house," he whispered.

"How old do you think this is?" Ranger pursed his lips and studied the painting.

"Looks Colonial. Probably a couple hundred years old."

"Then they have known each other for a long time," Morelli sighed.

"Come on. We don't want to lose the daylight," Ranger urged.

"What are we looking for…a coffin?" Ranger shrugged.

"Maybe. Or just a room that they can escape the sun. This place doesn't have a basement. I checked the records and building permits. Let's look upstairs."

Ranger and Morelli searched all the rooms on the second floor. Nothing. There were expensive clothes and jewelry in the master bedroom. There were several more antiques in the rooms upstairs. More evidence that Christian lived several life times. Realization dawned on Morelli that not only had Christian been in Stephanie's life for hundreds of years, but it had to be devastating to watch her die over and over again. Losing her once was bad enough. "Don't feel sorry for him, Morelli." Ranger's voice breaking the eerie silence caused him to flinch. Christ….did this guy have ESP?

"Maybe they're not here? What do you want to do?" Ranger rubbed his hands over his face.

"Keep looking. We still need to find their hiding spot. If they're not here, we'll need to come back to finish the job," Ranger told him. Morelli nodded. Half of him was hoping they wouldn't find anything while the other half just wanted to get this over with now. They went through the entire house again. Still nothing. They would soon be losing the daylight.

"Maybe they don't stay here all the time?" Morelli wondered out loud. Ranger shook his head.

"No. We're just missing something. Maybe a false wall or door." He began to tap the wooden stake along the walls in the huge family room. Morelli started on the other side, pausing only to steal a glance out the window. The sun hung low in the sky.

"We'd better hurry," Morelli said pointing to the window. "We're running out of time." They both picked up the pace. Ranger paused at the fire place. If he hadn't been looking so closely, he would have missed it. There was a thin line in the grout around the field stone to the right of the fireplace.

"Here it is," he called to Morelli. "There is a door here. We need to find how to open it." Morelli rushed over and the two of them began to search for a way to open the door. Morelli ran his hand under and over the mantel. Ranger pressed against the various stones until one sunk into the wall. There was an audible click as small section of the wall swung outward. Ranger pulled the door open the rest of the way. There was a narrow wooden staircase.

"I thought you said they didn't have a basement?" Morelli accused. Ranger remained unphased.

"It wasn't in the plans, and there weren't any permits for one. He could have had this work done privately," Ranger told him flatly as he proceeded to descend the stairs. He paused for a moment to turn on his flashlight and shine the beam ahead to illuminate the way. Morelli followed right behind him.

The small room was dark. There were no windows. In the center of the room were two coffins. Both men froze at the sight. In the backs of both their minds, they were clinging to the possibility that this situation wasn't real. Any doubts they did have completely vanished. Ranger unzipped his duffle and removed a wooden stake. He motioned to Morelli to do the same. They slowly crept over to the closet casket. Ranger silently mimicked lifting the lid to Morelli and positioned himself at the head of the casket with stake raised to strike. With both men holding their breath, Morelli nodded and slowly raised the lid. Empty.

Morelli heard his own heat pounding in his chest. He was sure Ranger could hear it too. He blew out a sigh of relief. "Maybe they're not here after all?" His anxiety level was slowly building. Ranger seemed to always keep it together. It was hard to get a read on him. Ranger pointed to the other coffin.

"We need to check that one, too." Morelli took another deep breath and blew it out.

"Okay." They took the same positions again. Morelli counted to three in his head and raised the lid. His breath caught in his throat. Ranger, who was poised to strike, lowered the stake and stared inside. Stephanie. Her wild curls framed her beautiful face and fanned out on the silken pillow. "Jesus," Morelli whispered.

Ranger swallowed hard. You have to do this, he told himself over and over. The pain and guilt he felt over her death came rushing back. Hold it together, Manoso, he scolded himself. He looked over to Morelli. He wasn't doing any better than he was. Her beautiful face looked so peaceful. She was pale but not like she had been before….before her death? She wasn't really dead…was she? She was undead. This wasn't Stephanie, their Stephanie, anymore. You have to put her to rest, he instructed himself again. "We have to do this, Joe." Morelli nodded. "Because you love her." Morelli turned to look at Ranger.

"You love her, too." Ranger nodded. He took Morelli's hand and placed it on the stake.

"We'll do this together….for her." Morelli tightened his grip and they plunged the stake into Stephanie's heart. Her eyes flung open as she screamed. Morelli panicked and tried to pull the stake back.

"No! We're hurting her!" Ranger grabbed him by the wrist. He couldn't help it as the tears began to fall. He was losing her all over again.

"We're saving her," Ranger told him softly. Stephanie's screams died to a couple of strangled gasps. She looked back and forth to both of the men she loved.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before becoming still. Morelli fell apart. Under normal circumstances, he would never have wanted to break down in front of Ranger. Now, he just didn't care. He crumpled to the floor next to the casket. He was trying to prevent his sobs and get himself back under control. He felt Ranger's hand placed gently on his shoulder as Ranger knelt in front of him. After a few seconds, he looked into Ranger's face. There was a single tear that ran down his cheek.

"It's what she would have wanted. We did the right thing." Morelli wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and nodded. Neither man saw that Christian entered the room.

"Je suis tres desole, Sabine. Je t'aimerai toujous," Christian whispered to her and kissed her forehead. Morelli and Ranger jumped up. Christian pulled the lid back down on the casket. "Sabine was my wife…a long time ago." Ranger snatched the other stake off the ground. "She didn't know what I had become at first. I watched her grow old and die. I didn't know that we would meet again. I would find her every time she came back. Her soul would remember mine. We would be together again. But because she was mortal, I would slowly watch her deteriorate over time and lose her again. I didn't want her to exist like I did. Over the years, it became harder to find her. You see, there were two other souls that had connected with her." Morelli and Ranger exchanged confused glances.

"Us?" Ranger asked him. Christian nodded.

"Did you ever wonder why she wouldn't commit to either of you?" Christian looked at them with raised eyebrows. "Her soul was already taken. We've had several lifetimes together. She will always be mine. I could no longer live without her. When I found her this time, I decided to turn her. It was selfish of me…I know."

"You turned her into some….thing….because you love her?" Morelli asked incredulous. Christian nodded.

"I don't expect to you understand. You're not in my situation."

"You don't seem all that upset that she's dead," Ranger told him. Christian smirked.

"The pain doesn't get any easier. I've been through this many times before. I'm able to control my reaction to it. And I have the solace of knowing that I will see her again. And she will remember me, and we will be together again."

"Not if I can help it," Ranger growled. He stepped forward and plunged the stake through Christian's heart.

For the majority of the ride home, the two men didn't speak. Stephanie's body was wrapped in a quilt in the back. They hadn't decided how they would explain it yet, but they wanted to make sure her body was returned to her grave. It wasn't until when they hit Trenton's city limits that Ranger spoke.

"We'll tell them we got an anonymous tip where her body was. No need to turn this into a clusterfuck. Let her and her family have some peace. I don't want the press making a media circus out of this again." Morelli agreed.

"Do you believe him? That they'll be together again?" Ranger shrugged.

"I believe anything is possible now," Ranger replied. "Besides….if he's right, that means we'll meet Stephanie again, too." Morelli thought about what Ranger just said. He smiled for the first time since Stephanie died.

"I hope so."

Author's Note: Je suis tres desole, Sabine. Je t'aimerai toujous (I am very sorry, Sabine. I will forever love you)


	13. Chapter 13

Because you love her- by jersey girl in oxford (sue)

Epilogue

Many years later……..

Two young girls ran from the locker room and out to the football field behind the high school. They were late again to cheerleading practice. The area buzzed with all the activity from the football teams, soccer teams, track team, and field hockey teams as they were in various stages of warming up for their after school practices. "Do I need to buy you ladies a watch?" their coach asked. The girls exchanged glances and giggled.

"It was all Sarah's fault," Lisa explained elbowing the tall girl with the wild curls standing beside her. "She had to get a look at the new boy who transferred here yesterday." Sarah pushed her friend.

"Did not! You just took too long getting changed!" The coach ran the girls through warming up, and they worked on a few routines before taking a break.

"That's him!" Lisa whispered and pointed. Sarah and a few of the girls watched the new boy as he ran laps with the track team. "He is so cute!" As he ran past the girls, he looked at Sarah and gave her a wink. "See…he likes you." Sarah blushed.

"He does not! He winked at everyone," Sarah insisted.

After practice, Sarah headed back to the locker room. The new boy was leaning against the gate waiting for her. "Hi…I'm Christopher. I'm new here."

"Sarah." Christopher smiled and extended his hand which she shook.

"If you're not doing anything now, I'd like to take you for an ice cream or something," he offered. Sarah smiled and blushed.

"Sure. I just have to change. I'll meet you back here, okay?"

Sarah had a wonderful time with Christopher. He was laid back and easy to be with. She felt like she had known him forever. He was waiting for her at the main entrance of the high school the next day. "Here," he said grabbing her books, "let me carry them for you."

"Thanks. I had a really great time yesterday," she told him.

"Me, too. I'd like to see you again, Sarah."

"I'd like that, too!"

Jack and Charlie watched as the couple walked down the hall together. Both had been trying all year to get Sarah to go out with them. She declined them every time. "Who the fuck is that new kid?" Jack asked. Charlie shrugged.

"All I know is that he's movin' in on me, and he's gonna regret it," Charlie replied.

"Moving in on you? Bullshit! He's moving in on me. I told you Sarah was mine and to keep your hands off her," Jack insisted.

"Fuck you! She's mine," Charlie yelled back and shoved Jack. Jack recovered and swung at Charlie. At that time, Mr. Butler, the school's vice principal, separated them. Mr. Butler was very intimidating at 6'6". He grabbed each boy by the collar and began escort them to his office.

"Okay boys…it's fine time you learned that fighting over a woman will bring you nothing but trouble and heartache," he told them as he marched them down the hall.

THE END

Author's note: Okay….I didn't want Kathy to have a stroke with no HEA. Well…this isn't exactly a HEA but it's the best I could do with all the pain from my toothache!!!!


End file.
